Product Comparison: Pentax K-3 vs Pentax K-5

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Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

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Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

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General Specifications

Brand

Pentax

Model

K-3

K-5

Origin

Philippines

About the Product

Benchmarked as the most advanced enthusiast DSLR available, featuring unparalleled technology and specifications, the PENTAX K-3 will set your photography free with the new standard of imaging performance and unsurpassed user-flexibility.

Go ahead and feed your photography obsession with the PENTAX K-5. For you, capturing that great shot isn't a casual interest. It's a part of your life. One spectacular image after another. This camera is the perfect piece of equipment to help you get your photo fix. With the compact, rugged K-5, the world is truly your studio.

Key Specs

Sensor Resolution

24.3 MP

16 MP

Sensor Type

APS-C CMOS

Lens

SMC Pentax-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-135mm ED AL [IF] DC WR

SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm WR

Viewfinder

Pentaprism

Sensor Resolution

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Size & Weight

Height

3.94 in.

3.81 in.

Width

5.18 in.

5.15 in.

Depth

3.05 in.

2.87 in.

Weight

28.22 oz.

26.1 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

Remains compact in size, but big enough to feel solid just like the K5 and Pentax family.
IF you like a bigger size, the K3 feels a bit grippier and larger with more room for bigger hands.
The weight seems about the same as the K10, i.e. it's not going to be an issue toting it around all day.
Lightweight and convenient camera that you can carry with you to friends to visit.
For my fingers and hands this is a small size which is very inconvenient to use.

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

The weight, the solid build, LCD, and all the buttons seem to be in the right place REALLY great.
This is the most compact camera at such a level that you will find.
I have very big hands (usually I wear XL with gloves or XXL), so the “compact” size of the K-5 was the initial problem, but I'm used to it and it’s comfortable.
Great features, customizability, build... perfect size, weather sealed, 100% viewfinder...
Сompact camera with excellent design which I have been using for many years.

Imaging

ISO Settings

Auto: 100-51200

Auto: 80 - 12800

Burst Mode

Yes

Low Light/High Sensitivity

Yes

Face Detection

Yes

Image File Format(s)

RAW, JPEG, DCF2.0

RAW, JPEG, DCF2.0, RAW + JPEG

What customers say about "Imaging"

Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

The K-3 is pretty forgiving about low light / high ISO shooting. You'll see some noise at 3200 but it cleans up pretty easily.
Good high ISO performance and range, resolution is great, Shake Reduction on every lens.
It handles well in low light, and has produced some lovely images for me. Some people complain about the autofocus, but it works just fine if you dial in the focus settings.
The new K-3's noise performance is light years ahead of the older model. I can now get good wildlife pictures at dusk and dawn.
The higher 12800 and 25600 do contain visual noise though which is expected. The old K-10D showed unacceptable noise at ISO 1600.

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

This is a camera that takes great low light pictures, you can push the ISO up pretty high and still get great pictures.
It is a fantastic DSLR with exceptional image quality, fast autofocus, high sensitivity etc.
I am amazed by the wonderful resolution of the K-5's sensor--it provides razor sharp images, beautiful saturation and a lovely rendering of anything I photograph.
Have used it in conditions from sunny spring afternoons to snow and freezing fog. Great image quality and no mechanical issues.
The low light capability is outstanding. Fixing the aperture and shutter speed and letting the camera decide on ISO works well.

Display

Display Type

TFT-LCD

Screen Size

3.2 in.

3 in.

Screen Resolution

921000 dots

Touch Screen

Vari-angle Display

What customers say about "Display"

Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

Screen is appreciably larger (better preview, displays more info), brighter, sharper, less glare. The size impressed me more than I expected.
The display on the K-3 is a bit nicer and larger than the display on the K-5 II, but the display on the K-5 II is still beautiful.
Beautiful display panel with excellent colors to choose from. Makes you want to just stare at the status screen. The display on the K3 is the Lamborghini of cameras, no doubt.
All things considered, this is a very nice camera. Good focus, high quality resolution. Well worth the money.
In bright light it is impossible to see what is happening on the screen. It really shines.

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

I am in love with this camera. I haven't seen the images on my computer yet, but from the on camera display, this thing takes really stunning images.
Its LCD-screen is magic - I love my pictures in it even more than on a big screen.
The camera takes great photos that I can see on a clean and bright screen.
The LCD screen seems to have a poor seal and lets in dust and/or sand.
In general, the camera is good, but the disadvantage is not enough clear screen.

Features

Water Resistant

Yes

Shock Resistant

Panorama Mode

Shooting Modes

Monochrome, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Shutter & Aperture Priority, Bulb, Manual, USER1, USER2, Green mode, Flash X-sync Speed, Natural, Portrait, Landscape

Candle, Food, Kids, Landscape, Macro, Motion, Museum, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR, Night Scene Portrait, Night snapshot, Pet, Portrait mode, Stage, Sunset, Surf & Snow

White Balance Modes

AUTO WB, Multi Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (Daylight Color), Fluorescent Light (Daylight White), Fluorescent Light (Cool White), Fluorescent Light (Warm White), Color Temperature, Manual WB, CTE, Tungsten Light

Cloudy, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent Light (Warm White), Fluorescent Light (Cool White), Fluorescent Light (Daylight Color), Fluorescent Light (Daylight White), Shade, Tungsten Light

Shutter Speeds

30 - 1/8000

Water Resistant
Panorama Mode

What customers say about "Features"

Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

I have used it in dust, snow, extremely humid conditions, in rain and have also washed it twice under running tap water. It is still working perfectly fine.
Build quality is top notch, you can just tell the camera is rugged, it can withstand water, oil, sand, & dust.
The shutter/mirror sound is very quiet and precise sounding. And if you are interested in video capabilities, Pentax has finally taken you into consideration with the K-3.
Taking pictures becomes a delightful experience with its fast autofocusing and silent shutter sound.
At high ISO, the shutter starts to make some kind of scary sounds, which prevents me from taking pictures in public places.

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

A compact and lightweight design, weather-sealing, and shake reduction backwards-compatible with old lenses even from the screw-mount era.
Very fast autofocus. Rode as a passenger around the city snapping pictures and the system was incredibly fast locking on and getting a true focus.
I bought this camera for the following features: weather/dust seals, quality of sensor for price, interoperability with my old lenses.
Battery life is good, speed is also good for the price point. Auto focus takes some adjusting to, but it generally competent.
I own the Pentax K5 and am very excited about this feature and weather proofed camera. Great feel with this camera and all the features to do what I want in photography.

Connectivity

PictBridge Enabled

NFC Enabled

Integrated GPS

Yes

Output(s)

USB3.0 (micro B), External release controller terminal, X-synch socket, HDMI (Type D), 3.5mm jack

HDMI, USB 2.0

Number Of Memory Card Slots

What customers say about "Connectivity"

Pentax K-3 lens kit w/18-135mm WR 24MP SLR Camera

I'm not sure anyone else offers a star-tracking feature that uses GPS (optional) and the mirror to follow the earth's rotation.
Track stars (without trails) for up to a few minutes with optional GPS.
GPS helps you mark where you took pictures. This is really useful when you are viewing photos.
If you were hoping for WiFi, this is only achieved via SD card. Considering the trend towards connected cameras, this is unfortunate.
No USB cable for connecting the camera to your computer, no video cables for TV, and the manual print is so tiny, I can barely read it.

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens

High-quality camera with a durable casing and well-made ports in it.
The SD card works fine, fast, no problems with it. Very good quality camera body.
I already took a bunch of photos and sent it to the laptop via the usb port.
I can say that the camera is of decent quality, in short there are no weak spots, a clear screen, pleasant buttons to the touch, high-quality ports.
It’s very difficult to stick an SD card out of the slot, which makes me furious.

Power

Battery Model

Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery D-LI90

Battery Life

560 frames

980 frames